A member of a drugs gang which conspired to distribute large quantities of heroin was jailed yesterday.

Okiemute Aroriode, 30, of Bay Tree Close in Ilford, was sentenced to eight years at Southwark Crown Court.

He is the last member of what police describe as a sophisticated criminal gang involved in the purchase and supply of vast quantities of heroin with an estimated street value of more than £4.5million.

A Met investigation into the gang resulted in officers finding huge amounts of class A drugs and half a million pounds in cash hidden in a Kent property.

At another address in Blackwall Way, Tower Hamlets, officers discovered 18 kilograms of high-purity heroin, eight kilograms of cutting agents and two hydraulic presses, used to prepare the drugs for sale.

Six other gang members from across London were jailed for a total of 72 years in jail earlier this year, including Delmar Davis, 30, of Thurlow Close, Chingford.

Davis was stopped by police while driving a car in Beaufort Close, Chingford, where 20 half-kilogram blocks of heroin were found in the vehicle.

A search of his home address in Thurlow Close, Chingford, uncovered seven further kilograms of heroin and 10 kilograms of cutting agents.